Forever You're Mine (MINE #4)(36)

“Hold up. I’m confused. Shouldn’t you have already had this conversation? Considering you’re supposed to be with me!” he bellowed.

“I refuse to talk to you until you calm down.”

He took a step forward, his body within inches of mine. “Tell me.”

I was about to tell him to go to hell, but that was before I caught the flash of fear hiding behind his hard eyes. I stepped forward, cupping his cheeks. “Baby, you have nothing to worry about. You are the only one I want. The only one I need. That out there, was closure. More for him this time than me.”

I watched as his eyes softened and the line straightening his lips loosened. “You’re mine,” he stated with a low hungry growl.

“I know, baby. All yours.”

His lips stole mine, owning me, possessing my mouth in a way he never had before. He did it with strong, deep swipes of his tongue, infusing my blood with so much need it was impossible to breathe. He pressed me against the wall while his greedy hands roamed every inch of my body.

Gripping.

Kneading.

Marking what was rightfully his.

And I was all too happy to let him, proving in every way I could, I belonged to only him.





Love shall be our token;

love be yours and love be mine.

~Christina Rossetti





I’d been searching all week long, searching for the right words and perfect time. Thought about confessing as she leaned against the kitchen counter cutting up tomatoes earlier to put into our salads. She had one bare foot propped up on her knee, sporting a thin white tank. A sexy zebra print bra taunted me from underneath. A loose braid hung down the center of her back and my fingers itched to mess it up even more. Her beauty was intoxicating and completely unmatched.

I almost said it during dinner. When she leaned over and wiped the ranch dressing from the corner of my lips with her finger and then sucked it into her mouth. “Damn, I shoulda had ranch instead of honey mustard,” she’d said.

Then, I almost said it while we made love, but my words failed me.

Now it was time for me to leave and I still hadn’t shared the words that were fighting for freedom within the confines of my heart. “So I’ll see you on Thursday?” she asked, leaning in to wrap her arms around my neck.

I loved her hugs. The way she fit so perfectly in my arms, her breasts against my chest, her breath on my neck.

I was going out of town to look at some commercial property with Holden tomorrow. I would be gone most of the day and she had to work, so we wouldn’t see each other again until I picked her up the following day to head to Alabama for my sister’s wedding.

I wanted to stay, but I still wasn’t comfortable spending the night. The therapist I’d been seeing was helping a little. It helped to talk about it some days. Some days…not so much. But the beautiful memories Cora and I were creating together, those were beginning to eat up the dark shit threatening to take over. But they were still there.

Lurking.

We were standing on her front porch when it fell from my mouth so easily, without pretense or hesitation. I moved my hands to the smooth skin of her jaw and found it trembling. “I love you.”

Fuck, and I did.

More than anything.

“You don’t know how much I’ve longed to hear you say those words to me.”

“I mean it. So damn much.”

“I love you too, Cannon.”

My heart swelled to an immeasurable size as I took her sweet lips with mine in a kiss that promised nothing short of forever. I would learn to live for this woman. Because God knows I would die for her.

The whole ride home I had to fight the urge to turn around. I wanted to fall asleep with her in my arms and wake up with her hogging the covers or me sliding inside of her. I wanted to see her sleepy eyes when they smiled her lazy good morning smile, asking me to cook her bacon, then shoving me away when I tried for a morning kiss.

But I wouldn’t risk hurting her again. She was too important to me. We couldn’t rush something we wanted to last forever.

We had a lifetime to get this right.

*

I woke up earlier than normal so I could squeeze in a workout before I hit the road with Holden. I was still flying high from my night with Cora. So much that I was actually looking forward to going home tomorrow. Even though I knew it would be hard as hell, I was ready. I could face this.

With her by my side, I could face anything.

I was in the middle of lifting weights when my cell rang. At first I thought it might be Holden saying he was running late, which wasn’t unusual, but the name that flashed across was not Holden. In fact, it was the last person I ever expected to hear from again.

“Yeah,” I answered, irritated by the interruption.

A small voice I hardly recognized came from the other end of the line. “Hey,”

“What’s up?”

“How are you?” she asked.

“Why are you calling me, Alexis?”

“Because I miss you,”

I could feel the weight of her confession in my chest which confused me. I’m not supposed to care about her. I’m not supposed to care how she felt but for some ungodly reason I did. I guess because I knew what it was like to want to escape. I was familiar with the need to bury pain and the desperation that comes with it. But whatever she’s battling, she would have to deal with on her own.